Laura The Gastronaut > Recipes > Sides > Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

January 13, 2021 | Laura

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Nothing beats a freshly made homemade ranch dressing. It is so much better than store-bought and is excellent served with pizza, chicken wings, fries, and so much more. Here is my tried and true ranch dressing recipe.

Creamy, Tangy, Perfectly Seasoned Ranch

I know ranch dressing can be a controversial topic. Some argue that all ranch tastes the same, while others claim they are all different tasting. While I'm not one to put ranch on EVERYTHING, I do believe there is good ranch and there is bad ranch. This whole episode of the cooking laboratory was made in an attempt to discover the best ranch dressing.

Ranch dressing dates back to the 1950s when it was created by the founder of Hidden Valley Ranch, Steve Henson. You can hear the entire history of ranch dressing in my cooking lab video below. Ever since then, ranch dressing's popularity has just continued to increase.

In fact, I know people that ask for ranch at restaurants no matter what their order is. If you are one of those people that are big fan of ranch, well you are in the right place.

How did I come up with this recipe? Well, I looked into the history of ranch dressing, learned about buttermilk science, and made four different recipes that I found online. I then took what I learned in my lab (AKA: my kitchen), and through trial & error came up with this tasty ranch dressing that's backed by history and science.

Four Ways to Make Ranch Dressing

Pioneer Woman: Homemade Ranch Dressing

First, I made The Pioneer Woman's Homemade Ranch Dressing (The Pioneer Woman Homepage). This was a great ranch dressing recipe. The Pioneer Woman leaves a lot up to you by giving you multiple optional ingredients so you can make this ranch dressing your own. I did add the optional fresh dill which made it taste a little bit like tartar sauce. However, I love tartar sauce so this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Salty Marshmallow: Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing

Second, I made The Salty Marshmallow's Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing (The Salty Marshmallow Homepage). This recipe tastes like a classic ranch recipe. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this recipe because all the ingredients are dried! There was still so much flavor. The large amount of buttermilk did make this ranch a little too watery for me so I ended up adding some more mayonnaise which helped the consistency.

Minimalist Baker: Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing

Third, I made Minimalist Baker's Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing (Minimalist Baker Homepage). This vegan ranch was so fun to try. Could I tell that it was not like the others? Absolutely, but it still made for a great ranch option if you are vegan. I'm not sure I'd want to dip my pizza or chicken wings in it, but it would be wonderful on top of a salad.

Whole Kitchen Sink: Southwest Ranch Dressing

Lastly, I made Whole Kitchen Sink's Southwest Ranch Dressing (Whole Kitchen Sink Homepage). This is the perfect ranch dressing to make if you want to change things up! All the spices in this ranch brought such great big flavor. I loved it. I bet this one would be great with french fries and on top of a chicken rice bowl.

Overall, all of these recipes were delicious. I would happily eat any of them again. My husband picked The Salty Marshmallow's ranch dressing as his favorite. He loved the classic flavor of this ranch. I bet that's because most of the ranch we get at the store and restaurants use dried ingredients as well- just like Steve (the founder of Hidden Valley) did!

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Let's talk about the recipe I created!

✽ Dried Ingredients: The majority of the ingredients in my recipe are dried. This is because it brought that classic ranch taste we all know and love. It makes it very similar to the Hidden Valley ranch packet. However, feel free to swap out any of the dried ingredients with fresh ingredients! Both will work.

✽ Fresh Parsley and Chives: I chose to use fresh parsley and chives because I always feel like the dried version of these two ingredients don't bring enough flavor. I love the taste of fresh parsley and chives. As with the dried ingredients, you can swap fresh parsley and chives out for dried if you need to.

✽ Buttermilk: I chose buttermilk mostly because that's what Steven Henson used in the original recipe! It brings a nice tangy flavor to the ranch and also keeps the nice creamy consistency. You can use regular milk in place of the buttermilk, but it will alter the taste slightly and change the consistency.

What should you dip into this delicious ranch?

✽ Jalapeno Honey Barbeque Chicken Wings: Chicken wings and ranch dressing go hand-in-hand. The ranch dressing pairs so well with these sweet and spicy wings.

✽ Air Fryer French Fries: These perfectly cooked air fryer french fries are even better dipped into a bunch of creamy ranch.

✽ Air-fried Jalapeno Fries: Cut the heat of these jalapenos with this homemade ranch.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

By Laura | Laura the Gastronaut
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

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Nothing beats a freshly made homemade ranch dressing. It is so much better than store-bought and is excellent served with pizza, chicken wings, fries, and so much more. Here is my tried and true ranch dressing recipe.

*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• 4 tablespoons buttermilk

Instructions

➊ In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs, all the seasonings, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and white vinegar.
➋ Stir in the buttermilk until fully combined. You can adjust the amount of buttermilk you use to achieve the consistency you desire.
➌ Serve immediately or, for best flavor, put in fridge for a couple of hours.

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Notes

Herbs & Garlic Powder: As mentioned above, you can swap out fresh herbs for dried herbs, and vice versa. You can also use a clove of fresh garlic in place of the garlic powder.

So Many Options: The recipe will give you the ranch dressing that I think is the best. Feel free to make it your own by putting in more or less of an ingredient, leaving out an ingredient, or adding a completely new ingredient. I think jalapenos would be really good in it!

Buttermilk: I really do think that real buttermilk makes this ranch taste so much better. In a pinch, you can add lemon juice or vinegar to milk to make a substitute for buttermilk. Just add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup, and then fill the cup up to the top with milk. I talk about this substitute and buttermilk in my cooking labortory video.

Letting Ranch Chill in Fridge: Of course, you can serve this ranch right away, but the flavors will deepened and meld together more if allowed to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours prior to serving.

Storage: You can store this ranch dressing in an airtight container for up to one week.

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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.

Category: Sides Cuisine: American
Keywords: homemade ranch dressing recipe, creamy ranch dressing, homemade ranch dip recipe, buttermilk ranch dressing

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Bon appétit!

January 13, 2021 by Laura Ehlers

*This Homemade Ranch Dressing blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.